Snowshoe

The huge snowstorm that hit the Northeast was music to our ears, since we were headed to West Virginia to enjoy some snowskiing before Christmas. Claire was mesmerized by all the snow that started showing in small patches once we crossed into North Carolina. With every mile closer, the snow got deeper; however, the snow had actually fallen several days prior, so the roads were clear. We arrived in Snowshoe, W. Va., just after 6 pm. Claire was so excited to see and touch the snow. As soon as we located our townhouse, she bundled up and headed outside to play in the 25-degree, foggy weather.The next day brought clearer skies, so we were able to enjoy skiing. Claire was a quick learner, and Travis and I felt right at home in our skis, though it had been several years since we'd skied.Mr. Morgan had never skied before, but he picked it up quickly. While you may think his rainbow hat was the last of the remaining headgear in Deb's trunk of ski clothes, it was his first choice. Deb purchased the hat nearly 40 years ago out in Colorado on another ski trip. Travis and I as kids made fun of the hat, but Mr. Morgan wears it well.We enrolled Claire in ski school on the afternoon of our first day. She doesn't take instruction well from either of us--I'm hoping it's her age, so we thought a cool ski instructor might make some headway during the three-hour lesson. She loved ski school, especially skiing with other kids, and she learned a lot. Her "report card" gave her high marks in nearly all the categories, and the instructor included "loves to ski" in his hand-written comments. We found the ski schoolers at one of the chairlifts, and I was able to get Claire's picture in her red, ski-school jersey.